Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert Matériaux starts its Dutch calendar this Sunday in the Tour of Drenthe (1.1), a classic in the northeast of the country, between Assen and Hoogeveen. Last October, Andrea Pasqualon concluded the season of the World Team with a second place.
The first race half of the parcours of 198.1 kilometer contains the famous cobble sections of the region, twelve in total from which seven in the first two race hours. The riders will then cover five times the col du VAM (0.4km at 4.6%) in the second race half, with the summit of the last passage at 15 kilometer before the finish.
The selection under the direction of Frederik Veuchelen is identical to the group that helped Gerben Thijssen sprinting to fourth place in the GP Monseré last Sunday. The sprinter can again rely on the support of Julius Johansen, Frenchman Hugo Page, Hungarian rider Barnabás Peák, his compatriot Kévin Van Melsen and Dutchman Boy van Poppel.
« In the past I often raced in the Drenthe region, so it's always nice to come back to this corner of the country and race on these unique cobble sections. After the GP Monseré last week, the Tour of Drenthe is the second difficult classic for our young team around Gerben Thijssen. His fourth place in Roeselare was a good start, collectively we were where we had to be. I'm happy to pass on my experience to this young group and to teach them the automatisms. For example, when I advise them during the race to hide from the wind or when we take time after the race to discuss some topics. This Sunday it will be important to be focused all day and to not underestimate anyone, because I expect many attacks. The ideal scenario for us would be a sprint with a reduced group, just like last Sunday. »
